


From Beyond the Times and the Mists

by KyuubiChan



Series: The Timeless [1]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game), Guild Wars Series (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don't worry, I got this!, I only own the slight changes and the OCs [and their background story], I'm Bad At Tagging, Most information is from Guild Wars wiki, Multi, Rating May Change, This is my disclaimer for whole story, just tweaked a bit for comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-01-17 16:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12370071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyuubiChan/pseuds/KyuubiChan
Summary: Something sleeps in Tyria. An ancient power has come forth to rival those that stand in it's way. But will it choose to stand with the intention to fight and help win an ancient power struggle? Or will it let Tyria and it's inhabitants sink like Orr?*This will be packed full of lore all the way from the first game and everything will be tinkered with to fit every need/consequence. Don't worry, I will not change anything major, except where the story concerns my character or Trahearne.*





	1. Prologue: In the Beginning of Time...

**Author's Note:**

> #1 First and foremost, if you don't like reasonably over powered characters due to the nature of their magic? This isn't for you. (Example: Earth Manipulation = Instantly growing a tree and/or garden [no the manipualtion of elements has nothing to do with GW Elementalist magic, its completely different])
> 
> #2 Yes, Tai is an OC I made when I was 9. You would not believe how she has changed in a decade. No, she is not a Mary Sue by any means, no matter what you say.
> 
> #3 If you don't agree with the race, though it took forever to create the society, culture, and history (try like nearly 2 years and still in the making), move along. This is obviously not for you.
> 
> #4 You cannot sass me about the technicalities and consequences about putting her in GW. I understand those perfectly and I have planned almost 40 chapters in advance and how everything will be affected. I have done extensive research and will continue to do so. I can and will prove it in the next chapter.
> 
> #5 Finally, if you don't care about any of those things, Please enjoy how I decided to throw a bomb in the middle of the GW2 story!

_1324 AE_

 

Caithe leaned against the green surface of the house lost in her thoughts. Thoughts that churned and twisted trying to make sense of all that had happened recently. It had started when the Pale Tree, her Mother, had contacted her with a dire warning. There was an artifact of immense power that had been discovered by the bandits that plagued Kessex Hills along the border to Caledon Forest. If they were to succeed in its retrieval, the shadow it cast would throw everything out of balance. However, if they failed it could end the darkness that plagued the lands.

She had barely gotten there in time to stop them, but in the end Caithe had triumphed. The bandits had even been kind enough to have already loaded the artifact into a cart for her. It wasn’t until she safely returned to the grove did she get a good look at the item. The “artifact” was actually a large silver chest forged into that of a dragon. No matter how much she looked she couldn’t figure out how to open it. However, there was script carved into the wing that folded over the top of the chest.

It looked Orrian in nature, but … different. So she had sent for the one person who was an expert in almost all things Orr. “Caithe!” The sylvari female snapped out of her thoughts to turn towards the caller. A smile came upon her face. “Trahearne, brother! I’m glad you have come.” The dark green sylvari, Trahearne, came to rest in front of her. “I have to admit you’re message had me intrigued. You say The Pale Tree sent you spoke to you to stop the theft of an artifact with Orrian writing on it?” Caithe nodded and lead Trahearne into the room where she had put the chest.

“Bandits were trying to smuggle it past the border of the forest into Kessex Hills. I barely got there in time to stop them.” Caithe explained as she pulled off the cover on the chest. Trahearne inhaled sharply at the sight. “Remarkable. The time it must have taken to make something like this.” He marveled as he knelt down to examine the chest, running his fingers over the metal gently. The dragon had been forged to appear to be curled up asleep, one of its feathered wings covering over the top of a large chest. The dragon’s eyes were closed and it had a large black pendant grasped by the chain in its mouth.

“The entire chest appears to be made of metal like mithril almost, no other metal would be this bright. Not to mention the dragon portrayed. It's much different than the elder dragons or their underlings that we have seen before. Hmm … this script…” Trahearne observed the script closely. The sylvari crossed his arms over his chest with one hand to his chin. Caithe shifted on her feet, slightly impatient. “Do you know it?” Trahearne nodded and looked at her. “Yes, I have seen and translated it before. This script is ancient however, almost before the founding of Orr even. It'll take me a while, I'm afraid. A few hours at least” Caithe inwardly sighed, but knew it was necessary.

Trahearne smiled at Caithe, knowing her impatience at such things. “ I suggest you find something else to occupy the time while you wait. I think it would be rather dull just sitting and watching me translate.” Caithe knew an out when she saw one and agreed quickly. “I’ll be back in a while then.” Trahearne bemusedly watched as the other firstborn quickly made her escape from boredom before turning back to the chest. “Now, let’s see what secrets you hold.”

* * *

 

Trahearne didn’t move from where he was bent over the chest as Caithe walked into small, well lit room. The dark male simply kept writing on the parchment roll in his possession. “Trahearne?” The sylvari in question hummed in a thoughtless answer. Caithe cleared her throat visibly making the other jump. “Oh Caithe! Back already?” The lighter female chuckled lightly. “Yes, it has been almost four hours. Were you able to complete the translation?”

“Yes, I have. I was just making some notes. Interestingly, the script appears to be a riddle of sorts on how to open the chest. Though it doesn’t say what is in it.” Caithe raised an eyebrow and moved to get a look at the parchment the other was holding. “A riddle you say? Any luck with solving it yet?” Trahearne shook his head, “I haven’t tried yet.” Caithe took the parchment from him and read aloud,

**_“I slumber, I wait,_**

**_For time to decide my fate._ **

**_A total of nine shall wake,_ **

**_But not without I, the drake.”_ **

Caithe tilted her head thoroughly puzzled. “What are your thoughts, brother?” Trahearne took the paper back and pointed to his notes underneath. “Make note of how it says ‘slumber’. I believe it has to do with the fact that the dragon appears to be sleeping. We have to wake the dragon to open the chest.” Caithe nodded and pointed to the last line, “Then what does mean by the ‘total of nine’?”

Trahearne encouraged Caithe to stand by the chest with him, “Well, my theory is that it is referring to the obsidian pendant in its teeth. It's actually a clock, what they looked like originally before the Asura remade them. What's peculiar though is the clock was only invented maybe 300 or 400 years ago, but this chest has to be at least 1,000 years old based on the script.” Caithe looked to the clock pendant with interest. “The short hand tells the hour, while the longer hand shows minutes. Usually there is another hand, a thin rod, that goes round that counts the seconds, but this clock doesn’t have one. I’m afraid after that I’m unsure of what it could mean. The twelve at the top usually signifies exact noon or midnight.” Both sylvari stared at the clock pendant trying to make sense of everything.

A thought occurred to Caithe. “Perhaps we should try to make the hands point to the nine? That could be what it means.” Trahearne thought about it for a minute before admitting, “Yes, that seems reasonable.” Trahearne leaned over the chest and gentle started to rotate the long hand of the clock. When the hand got to the nine nothing happened. “Try the short hand.” Caithe encouraged. The dark male continued to gentle wind the long hand to move the short hand slowly. As the short hand rested on the nine and the long hand on the twelve Trahearne removed his hand. Nothing happened for a moment, disheartening the two when suddenly the dragon’s closed eyes opened. Twin amber jewels crafted to look like eyes stared up at them.

There was click and a loud bell sound of metal striking metal. The clock hands began moving on their own, continuing to turn to the right. The sound of gears was heard over another bell like sound. Trahearne and Caithe quickly moved from the side of the chest to a safer position. The wing covering the chest shudder before folding in on itself, section by section to reveal the inside. The sound had struck exactly nine times before everything stilled with the click of the clock hands on twelve.

Caithe and Trahearne glanced at each other before cautiously approaching the chest to peer in. Caithe gasped at the contents and Trahearne’s brows creased worried. IN the bottom of the chest buried in pillows was a person. The person was wearing a royal blue robe that was cut short at their knees, but had long bell sleeves and a hood that covered their entire head and all of their hair. They were lightly snoring without a care in the world as if they hadn't just been found in a 1,000 and something years old chest.

Trahearne, though unsure, gently reached in and shook the person’s shoulder. There was a light feminine groan from the person as they shifted. “Nooo … I don’t *yawn* want to … wear the pink bow … Gigi…” She mumbled as the curled up further into themselves with a slight grumble.

Trahearne tried again. “Stop it, Gigi. Go bully Sai ... into pink.” She muttered again. “Excuse me, miss?” The girl hummed and pushed herself up from where she had been curled up. What seemed to be long baby blue hair fell from the hood as she fully sat up facing the sylvari. Pale hands came up to groggily rub at hidden eyes. Blinking sleepily up at the people who had woken her, her eyebrows furrowed in a confused scowl.

“Good Isteni. This sure is a weird dream.” Trahearne looked back up at Caithe who was hovering over his shoulder. Caithe shrugged at his look, not really knowing what to make of this. Trahearne looked back to the girl who seemed to be rubbing at her eyes again and cleared his throat. The girl jumped visibly seeming to wake up more. She stared dumbly at the plant people who seemed to be staring at her with same incredulity. “Oh. I’m … awake.”

Both sylvari nodded. “So, I’m not … dreaming?” Two head shakes. “Are you sure?” Two more nods. They could physically see it sink in as the hooded girl sat there quietly. They should have expected the screaming.

* * *

 

“Okay, okay. Taigon, deep breathes, you're fine. Just a little lost.” The girl, Taigon, muttered to herself as she hugged one of her bright red pillows of her nest to her chest. “Think, what happened last?” She asked herself as she screwed her eyes shut tight. There wasn’t much coming forth, just a feeling of sorrow and then a peaceful abyss and her dreams. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the plant people approach her slowly as if not to startle her.

“Are you okay, little one?” The female asked. The woman-plant had an interesting accent to her voice she had never heard before, very proper sounding. _Okay, okay. You are calm and collected. You can do this._ Taking one more deep breath, Taigon answered her. “I think I'll be okay, but I'm not sure right now.”

Trahearne sympathized with the young girl. He had been like that a few times in his lifetime. “That’s okay. My name is Trahearne and this is Caithe. You’re in the Grove and safe.” The girl curiously watched her as he introduced himself and Caithe, answering some of her questions. “Um, pleased to meet you, I guess. My name is Taigon of the Shikkins, though everyone calls me Tai. No offense, but what are you and what am I doing here?”

Caithe stepped up to answer her this time. “We are Sylvari. As for why you are here, I believe it would be best for you to explain how you got in this chest.” Trahearne offered his hand to help Taigon out as she asked, “Chest?” She grabbed the proffered arm to clamber out of her nest of pillows. “Yes, this chest that we opened. Caithe saved it from bandits trying to smuggle it away from Caledon Forest.” Trahearne gestured to the dragon chest.

Taigon glanced back to her sleeping place with a small scowl. _Oh!_  “You mean the Hako, or Ark. It was designed to preserve us in sleep.” Caithe and Trahearne shared a look. “‘Us’?” Taigon idly looked at her wrists feeling like something was missing. “Us, as in my siblings. We were to be sealed into these and hidden away if there ever was an emergency.”

Trahearne was about to ask something else when Taigon let out a panicked squeak. Both firstborns were on guard again as the girl seemed to frantically checking her wrists. “What’s wrong?” Caithe asked. “My … My Tanzo! They’re not here!” Caithe hid her slight exasperation at the girl as she tried to all but throw herself back into the chest. “Tanzo, what are those?” Trahearne asked puzzled by her behavior. They must have been really important if she looked ready to tear her Hako apart.

“They’re super special. Every child is gifted their Tanzo on their 5th birthday by the Isteni and you are never supposed to be parted from them. How did they even come off!?” Taigon’s explanation echoed from where she had slung herself over the side of the chest. As Trahearne watched with a hint of worry he noticed she was actually really short. Even just being slung over the edge of the Hako at the waist caused her feet to leave the floor, toes dangling off it by a couple of inches. The male flushed lightly as the skirt of her robe rode up higher on the backs of her thighs and politely averted his gaze when a glint of gold caught his attention.

Caithe continued to watch as the girl seem to get more frantic as she searched. She glanced over at Trahearne who moved closer towards the head of the dragon, who was still staring at them with fierce orange amber eyes. “Taigon? They wouldn’t happen to be gold would they?” He asked as he spotted a pair of golden bracers around the dragon’s wrists where they were curled up under its head. The bracers were gold with silver stripes and seemed to begin at the knuckle and then go almost halfway down the arm in almost seamless segments to allow movement.

“Yes, they are!” Taigon paused in her futile search of her empty ‘bed’. “How did you know?” She asked him as she pulled her head and torso out of the chest to look at him. Trahearne smiled at her and pointed at the dragon’s wrists. She gasped at the sight of her beloved bracers. Scrambling towards them and dodging Trahearne, she shouted in delight. “Yes, those are it!” Caithe blinked, slightly astonished how quickly the girl had moved. It was like she had blurred out for a moment.

Taigon let out a sigh of relief as she ran her fingers over the golden bracers reverently. Focusing her energy into her fingertips, they sparked with blue light over the golden metal of the bracers causing them to _snick_ open. Trahearne startled at the usage of what seemed to be a form of electric magic by this young girl who seemed to be ignorant of the world. Taigon quickly locked the bracers snugly to her wrists with a click that left behind no seam of where they had closed.

“I’m never removing Csaló from my person ever again.” Taigon sighed happily as she flexed her hands against the thin gossamer straps wound across her palms. “Csha-low? What does it do?” Caithe asked. Tai scrunched up her nose at the butchered mispronunciation. "Csaló is my Tanzo, or my weapon. Each Tanzo is unique to the owner, because the Isteni forge them to the owner. No one else can use them, or even in some cases remove them from the wielder. I'm one such cases, so is two of my younger siblings."

“Weapon? I’ve seen many types of weapons, but never a pair of bracers.” Caithe said, shifting her weight on her feet.

Taigon’s sly smile was shadowed by her hood as she stepped back from Trahearne’s side. Raising her hand out, she flicked her wrist causing the air to ring with the silent unsheathing of blades. Gold metal gleamed in the light as a metal paw stretched to cover the back of her hand and silver blades sprung from the claws about a foot and a half. Her pale hand grasped at a stabilizing handle underneath. “You were saying?” She asked to a gaping Caithe as she flicked her wrist again and the weapon retracted back into the bracer.

“Hmm … Caithe is right. I’m afraid there are no weapon’s like that here in Tyria. At least none that we know of.” Trahearne observed, “If I may?” Taigon shrugged but offered her other wrist for the other to examine the bracer. While the male firstborn turned her wrist this way and that, Caithe started asking the other more questions.

“You said you had siblings. How many do you have?”

“I have one older sister and one older brother, then two younger brothers and five younger sisters.”

Caithe looked at her with disbelief. “I’ve never heard of a human with more than four siblings, never mind eight.”

Taigon tilted her head to side confusedly. “But I’m not human.”

Trahearne paused his examining of her bracer. “Not human? Pardon, but you aren’t of the right size to be Norn and you certainly aren’t Charr or Asura. If you aren’t human, then what are you?”

Taigon considered him as if he was joking before answering. “My race is called the Váltó, or Changers. We are able to shift our forms to that of beasts.”

Taigon reached up to her face to grab her hood and hesitated a moment. _It’s alright. By the sound of these different races they won’t judge my appearance._ She lowered her hood to rest on her shoulders, the rest of her long light blue hair tumbling down her back.

The two sylvari were not quite sure what to make of her. She was young to the equivalency of a human halfway through their younger teens with slightly rounded cheeks and a slightly upturned nose. Large jewel-like orange eyes watched their reactions with concerned blue eyebrows. There were thin blue stripes alighted on her cheeks, two on either side just under her eyes. Her light blue hair was tied into two high ponytails on the back of her head that trailed down to the middle of her back, bangs brushed to the right side of her face.

However, what caught their attention the most were the white and blue furry triangles perched on the top of her head coming up from where human ears would have been. They flicked under the sylvaris’ scrutiny.

Taigon babbled as she nervously tugged at one of the ears. “Usually, I keep them human-ish, but since I've not really focused on them for so long I guess they changed back to normal. I've got a tail too, though I normally keep it around my waist when it's not fully shifted.” Said tail unwound itself from its hiding spot to curl almost bashfully around her leg to her knee. Taigon stopped rambling at the mind boggled looks from her new leafy friends, though she still wrung her hands in front of herself.

Caithe shook herself first. “There’s never been a race like that here before. We have our more tribal and bestial races, certainly, but none that can change their race.”

Taigon wrinkled her nose before saying, “Well not races really, just animals. All Váltó are born into a clan with a birth form. We can change into anything we want as long as it's animal as defined by the Isteni and we know enough about the animal. There are some animals we can change into and some we can't, and it depends on the person.”

Trahearne intrigued, asked “Clan? Birth form?” Taigon flushed a little as she wasn't used to trying to explain things about her people. Katrina was much better than her at explaining things. “I’ll, er, try to explain later. It’s terribly complex. There are more important things. Like the fact I have no clue where in the world I am or where my siblings are. I also know nothing about this land since I’m not quite sure how long I’ve been asleep.” Taigon paused at the last statement. “I think Katrina said there was a timer on the Hako somewhere though.”

“Those are very good points. From how it sounds, our cultures are very different, so you'll need some assistance in getting used to Tyria. I would not make the best teacher currently as I move around too much. It would be best if you stayed in one spot for the moment while you learn the basics like currency and general history.” Caithe said.

Trahearne was silent as Caithe explained her points. It was true that Taigon would not learn as much as quickly as she would need to in those conditions. However, he knew someone who could teach her what she needed to know. Clearing his throat, the male sylvari brought both of their attentions to himself.

“I can teach her. Seeing as I have the necessary knowledge and I'm not traveling currently, I would be able to help you better.”

Taigon smiled gratefully at Trahearne. “That would be wonderful, Trahearne!”

Caithe looked to her fellow firstborn with a grateful smile, “Then it is decided. Taigon will stay with you to learn about Tyria. I’ll continue my hunt and if I come across anything that resembles your ark, I’ll be sure to pass along the information.”


	2. A Year and a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year passes quickly, though this chapter will not. A chapter of snapshot moments during the time in which Taigon spends in the Grove with Trahearne. Fair warning it is really long, though it will probably the longest in the series unless that changes later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count : 22 (this chapter only, first chapter was only 8)
> 
> So, this is the first thing that you can really see a lot of changes in, but also this is where I start building character relationships based on what I can infer from my game play and research. Like how many of you reading this know that Trahearne was the first of the firstborn and sylvari to Awaken? Lots of research had gone into this, which you'll be able to see once you read.
> 
> Also this is also a very precious game to me, since I actually started playing Guild Wars piggyback when my mother was playing the beta in like 2004 and she bought me the game when it came out in 2005. So yeah, I've been playing this game for 11 years now and still going strong. 
> 
> Pronunciation:  
> Sárkány - Shar-can  
> Farkas- Far-kash  
> Medve - Med-vay  
> Fóka - Foe-ca  
> Tigris - Tee-grree-s (very guttural)  
> áldás - al-dash  
> jelek - YHel-ek  
> Lejárat - Lay-yar-et  
> Váltó- VBal-toe  
> Anya - An-ya  
> Tanzo - Ton-zo  
> Isteni - EEsh-tin-ee  
> Csaló - ChSa-low (the S is very subtle, while the Ch is harsh)
> 
> Double capital letters means to mix the sounds the best you can. The consonants are very sharp and harsh sounding as well. If you need any help with words you don't know, don't hesitate to comment. Kudos to you if you know the meaning, but please don't say what it is because that will reveal too much of the story. It'll spoil everything later.

**_1324 AE_ **

 

 

_Caithe exited the seed pod next to the Pale Tree’s circle as it came to a gentle halt. She had just been asking for some advice from her mother about mending the relationship of her old comrades. Once again she had been given the same answer to be patient and let time heal the wounds that had been dealt to those of Destiny’s Edge. A flash of a dark blue hood entered her vision causing her to look for the source. Only one person had that specific color of royal blue and could move that fast._

_Sure enough Caithe caught the sight of Taigon headed to another seed pod, presumably to go to one of the lower levels. “Taigon! Over here!” Caithe called above all the noise, waving her hands in the air when the blue haired Váltó head started turning every which way to find who had called out to her. Her dark blue hood was up, concealing her face and hair as they wanted to keep her out of any kind of limelight as she caught her bearings in a world she barely knew anything about. Taigon spotted Caithe standing across the other side of the path from her and smiled as she quickly weaved through some of the other sylvari to get to her._

_“Caithe, it’s good to see you!” She exclaimed with a grin. Caithe smiled back in greeting. “It has been a while. How have you been adjusting to Tyria?” Taigon nodded happily and said, “Pretty good if I say so myself. Though I’ve been a little bored lately with Trahearne having got side tracked by a new Orrian book one of his many connections found.” Caithe quirked an amused eyebrow but said nothing. She knew very well how her brother could be stuck to anything Orr related when he got started._

_Caithe lost the amused look as she took all of Taigon in. The royal blue hooded robe that they had found her in was looking ragged now. The color was faded in areas that looked worn down and the edges were starting to fray. “Taigon, what’s happened to your robe? It looks like you’ve been dragging it through brambles.”_

_Taigon looked down at her old robe and pulled at the hem of one of the long sleeves. “So you noticed that too. It looks like while the stasis charm worked well enough on me, I’m afraid my robe was not the same. My other clothes are fine since their make is different than my cloak, but I don't think they fit Tyrian fashion. Well, except my coin belt, that's pretty much accepted everywhere. I haven’t a clue how to go about replacing all of this. My attire might not even be appropriate.”_

_Caithe looked at her strangely. “Appropriate? Why would you have to worry about that?” Taigon giggled nervously, scratching her cheek marks with a finger. “Well, the place where we lived considered my normal attire to be less than modest. My sister Katrina got me this robe to wear over them, though I still got weird looks for walking around barefoot. Váltó aren't very concerned about nudity due to being part beast. After all, animals don't wear clothes.”_

_Caithe could see how those could be a problem, but she wasn’t this girl’s friend for nothing. “I think I can help, but first we need to drag my scholar of a brother out of his research frenzy first. If I am to guess, he’s been stuck to that book since he received it, right?” Taigon gave an exasperated and indulgent smile with a shrug of her shoulders. “Pretty much.”_

 

0-0-0

 

_Trahearne had tried to convince Caithe that he was unnecessary for this venture, but then she had aptly countered with ‘She’s your responsibility, therefore you are to provide for her while she’s in your care which includes buying her clothes.’ So here he was being dragged around Lion’s Arch by of couple women to go clothes shopping, something that males of any race dreaded. Of course his sense of duty would be what Caithe used to manipulate him._

_“So, I believe I can assume that you tend to prefer light to medium armor?” Caithe asked as they passed a few merchants. Taigon nodded, her hood swaying in front of her eyes that were darting around trying to take in everything. There was so much to see and smell and hear that it was a little overwhelming. She had never seen such a large city in her life. “You would be correct. Most of my skills rely on being able to be quick and agile. Anything heavy would need to be compensated for and it’s harder to move fast in.”_

_Caithe hummed as she surveyed the stalls they were passing with a critical eye. Her eye caught on Trahearne trailing behind them and she mentally smirked as he was hiding his sulking. He had caved in all too easily when she had pointed out his duty as a teacher. Her brother was too responsible and polite for his own good sometimes. A rolling wagon stand came into her peripheral vision, peaking her interest._

_The wagon was purple with gold accents and seemed to be in fairly good shape for looking so old. The merchant seemed to be an older human woman who was sitting in a chair out of the way working on some kind of embroidery and a young man tending the stock. Probably her son from the resemblance that she could see from here. They were selling mostly light armor it seemed, but there were various accessories and even cloaks. Perfect._

_Taigon turned to her female companion when she was tapped on her shoulder. Caithe was pointing to a little purple wagon. “That looks like a good place to start.” Taigon considered it for a moment before agreeing. Trahearne followed behind them, hoping to have this over sooner rather than later._

_The older lady looked up from the stitch work in her hands and smiled at the three approaching the wagon. Business had been pretty slow today so it was nice to see some people interested. “Hello there. How can we help you?” the woman asked, gaining the attention of her son who was straightening the jewelry out for the nth time that day._

_The sylvari woman smiled back politely. “My friend here is in need of new clothing. Something light, but with plenty of protection.” The sylvari gestured to the small hooded girl next to her as she responded amicably. The woman gave the girl a searching look, raising a grey eyebrow at her state._

_She wore a tattered dark blue robe that cut off just above her knees and was barefoot. Most of her face was shadowed by the hood, but the lady could see her mouth and nose. She made a appraising noise in the back of her throat as her son held out hand to help her up, the lad trying not to stare at the three odd customers. “Let’s see here. Do you have any preferences, young lady?” she asked as she sorted through the different types of armor she had._

_Taigon nodded even though the old woman couldn’t see her. “It has to be versatile because of how I tend to move around. Light and airy almost, but plenty durable.” The merchant woman continued searching through the clothes forming a vague idea. Not looking behind her, the woman beckoned to Taigon with her hand. “Come, take a look at some of these. You’ll know better than I what’ll fit you.”_

_Taigon stepped up next to the woman, brushing past the young man, to take in some of the choices. There wasn't much that would match with her natural colors, but clothes could always be dyed. A bright blue pair of flowers appeared when she moved a top out of the way. Curious she pulled it out of the pile and unfolded it._

_It was a skirt that layered from the sides and ended long in the back, a white banner like panel in the center of the front. It was embroidered with gold to look like blue and white dragonfly wings, even having a light gold plating in the back like a tail. The bright blue belt looked as if it had been a purposefully and messily woven belt with two fake white and blue blossoms pinned on the hip. Attached to it with a hook were a pair gold bands that were to be worn on the person's legs._

_The old woman took notice of the skirt and thoughtfully remarked, “Ah, carapace pants. Those would certainly fit your need for versatility. Light and easy to move in, though the gold plating is rather strong. I think I have the matching top here somewhere. Give me a minute.” Taigon nodded and glanced over her shoulder. Trahearne and Caithe were standing side by side and discussing something. Trahearne caught her glance and turned to give her a small, but slightly uncomfortable smile. Her small shoulders shook in repressed giggles. She remembered how her younger brothers hated to go shopping for anything._

_“Here we are, deary. This is the top that goes with it. If you want you can use the small changing room in the back of the wagon to make sure it all fits.” the woman offered as she held out the folded top. The colors matched the skirt she was holding. The same gold bands, though smaller, were attached for the arms. The top itself was two pieces of white cloth to cover the breasts with two connecting pieces. The bottom half was similar to the gold bands, only one whole piece to cover the top of her stomach, with white crystals hung from the bottom. The top half was a blue triangular piece of fabric that connected to the white cloth with a gold clamp and trailed down to meet with the gold band._

_Taigon smiled and thanked her before disappearing into the back with a thump of the wooden door. The old lady turned to the two sylvari who had stopped their conversation to watch their other companion disappear into the wagon._

_“Don't worry, she just went to try the armor on.” She assured the two. Her son cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the two. “If I may, what are two sylvari doing with a young human girl all the way in Lion's Arch. You plant folk usually stick closer to home.” Trahearne answered as politely as possible. “She is staying in the Grove as an apprentice of sorts for the moment. As she's never gotten the chance to visit Lion's arch before, we offered to show her around and get her some new armor as a gift.” Simple and partially truthful._

_They had decided earlier that if anyone asked they would keep it as simple as possible as not to arouse in questions so soon. Trahearne had no doubt that the Order of Whispers had already heard of Tai and her mysterious appearance and were trying to get as much information as they could. Unfortunately, anything they acquired would be mostly speculation as only Caithe, Taigon, and himself knew that and they planned on keeping a lid on things for as long as they could._

_All four people turned as the sound of the door drew them from the conversation. A pair of pale feet and legs with gold bands tied on them swung themselves out of the dressing room, before the rest of the person followed. Taigon brushed a long blue pig tail behind her shoulder and announced, “I really like these. They're rather comfortable actually.” The open skirt swished softly in perfect harmony with the light metallic clink of the gold armor as she got closer to the group and stopped in front of them._

_Trahearne looked at the new armor with interest as it was the first time seeing her without her beat up blue cloak on. Immediately his eyes were drawn to the points of blue elegantly adorning her sides, standing out next to the pale color of her skin and the gold armor around her middle. They were thick blue horizontal stripes adorning her skin from her hips to the tops of her shoulders from what he could tell. They were the same light blue color of the ones complementing the shape of her feline amber eyes._

_Caithe slowly appraised her friends form. At first glance she was thin and small, but that was more like her stature rather than what would otherwise suggest frailty of body. Her stomach was toned and rippled with every step she took, implying a rigorous core training. Her legs were slim and compact with lithe power hinting at the amount of running and jumping she must have done. Her shoulders while narrow were strong and led down to defined arms, most likely from climbing if her legs and middle were any indication. All in all, the Váltó was a dangerous warrior in an unassuming and deceptively petite body._

_The woman nodded, taking a moment to size up the look. It suit her customer well, complimenting her odd long blue hair and pale skin. The coloring while she had never seen before on another race, not even the sylvari, was not the weirdest thing she had ever seen before while trading in Lion's Arch. She bemusedly looked at her son, who was wide eyed and flustered. However odd the young lady was, she was undeniably attractive in an exotic way. Oh how she wised her son would settle down, she sighed to herself. She wanted grandchildren sometime before she got too old._

_Taigon turned her head to the woman before asking, “Would you mind if I tested something out?” The woman nodded and gestured a hand out. “Be my guest.” The Váltó stepped away from the group and moved a small ways back. The other four watched with interest as she started running._

_The blue haired woman rose her hands in the air and flipped forward into a round off.[The round off then morphed into a back handspring full twist.](https://youtu.be/rRVNZ62d_tw?t=18s) _ **_(1)*_ ** _It only took seconds for Taigon to land with a bounce and come to a stop, arms held above her head. She mentally took notes about how the armor moved with her, oblivious to the surprised expressions of her sylvari companions and the amazed ones of the old woman and her son. A few of the passersby also gaped at the sudden street acrobatics. Nodding to herself, Taigon swiftly turned to the group and walked back. “One more test and then that should be good. If you would, Trahearne?” She asked  gesturing for him to step back a little. The dark green male complied still a little slaw jawed, which turned into a slight wince as she bent her torso backwards placing her hands on the ground in an arching backbend. Her feet kicked off the ground to position her in a handstand. The men flushed slightly at the flipping of her skirt with gravity, though it didn't completely as the gold plating in the back prevented anything but the backs of her thighs from showing._

_“Just how flexible are you?” Caithe inquired curiously. Taigon's answer was a cheeky upside down grin. Trahearne’s eyebrows furrowed as he caught sight of light markings on the backs of her thighs that were not stripes, but he didn't take too long to look as he flushed again and averted his eyes elsewhere. Before he could say anything though the older woman cut in. “Well, I would say you're a very talented young lady. Does the armor suit your needs then?” She asked politely. Taigon returned her feet to the ground with a joyful smile, “Yes, it allows my extreme movement range with ease. It's hard to find armor and clothes that do. How much will they be?”_

_“Well, those two pieces together usually cost about 80 silver, but since you've given some reprieve from a boring day, I'll give it to you for 65 silver and throw in a new blue cloak for another 5 silver.” The merchant lady offered kindly. Trahearne counted it out of his wallet as the older woman helped her pick out a new cloak. After paying for the new armor and Taigon putting her new cloak on, the three continued on down the path._

_Now that they were out of the merchants vicinity, Trahearne thought it the best time to ask about her the markings. “Taigon, what are the markings on your back? Are they tattoos like the Norn have?” Taigon look surprised, but grinned at her leafy friend. She’d thought he would have lasted until they got back to the Grove before he asked. “No, they're not tattoos, though I can see why you would think so. I was born with these. The Váltó call them the Jelek and they tell of what clan you are born to.” She kept explaining as they rounded the bend to a large fountain._ **_(2)*_ **

_“There are two types. The plain ones that show your clan status and then your lejárat. When we're young our parents tailor our clothes to show the marks we were born with. Mine would be the blue stripes all the way from hips to my cheeks. Those are signature of the Tigris clan. The second type are for you're body recognizes you as an adult, appearing in, uh, personal spots. They are often kept secret for the most part since they're pretty vulnerable, though some are more visible than others and can't be concealed easily. At special occasions you display them to show your, uh, availability as a partner. Unmated Váltó markings are usually a really pale color compared to their clan markings. They fill out with a color matching with whatever mate you take.” She explained absently as her amber orange eyes flitted from one thing to another._

_Trahearne and Caithe both were quite intrigued by what she had explained, each gaining a glimpse of her culture. “Do you have your adult markings yet?” Caithe questioned. Taigon looked at her from the corner of her eye with a bit of wariness. She supposed it would be alright since they wouldn't automatically know what the Jelek meant. “Yeah, I have three patches of white scales as my lejárat.” Trahearne pondered at that. That would match up with what he had seen on her thighs. “How do you have scales as your lejárat?” Taigon cursed inwardly. Of course he would be too observant of the fact that she had two very different jelek._

_“Well, you see, I'm not a pure blooded Tigris. I'm of mixed clan blood, a hybrid. Katrina is too, though none of my other siblings are. She’s a mix of Farkas and Tigris. I'm a mixture of Tigris and Sárkány. We're called abominations though, because mating outside of your clan is taboo. The smaller clans might let it slide and even accept it, but the pure blooded ones will list you as a clan traitor and then you become a pariah.”_

_Caithe shook her head with disbelief. “By the Pale Tree, that sounds terrible. Was your mother…” The female sylvari trailed off, unsure of how to put it delicately. “No, my Anya was never labeled a traitor for three reasons. The first is because she had fallen in love with the Farkas alpha that sired Katrina, but her family arranged a marriage with Cyren, our Ayta. She had only been pregnant for a little while when they married, so Katrina was never outed as a hybrid. Anya was very careful about that. Secondly, I’m adopted into the clan because they found me abandoned. I wasn't even considered to be a hybrid until my lejárat came in. Lastly, she us later on that she fooled everyone with thinking that her lejárat was the color of Cyren's Jelek with a semi-permanent skin dye, since the real color was actually very light.”_

_Trahearne though fascinated about her culture, could not help but agree with Caithe. That sounded unnecessarily brutal and barbaric. The amount of hardship and prejudice that her mother probably endured was more than even gladium charr had to go through. Though now it was understandable why she did not wish to show her lejárat, since they set her apart from her clan and were more personal due to her culture._

_"As for the whole mate color thing, it depends on a few things actually. I'd rather not go into details as I'm rather fuzzy on the whole thing. I tuned my Anya out when she was explaining. I'm not rather keen on trying to remember either, since it was so embarrassing. Whenever I can find my sister or brother, they can probably tell you how it works exactly." Taigon finished, her cheeks a rather rosy red remembering how she had squirmed through out the whole thing uncomfortably. It had been one of the most embarrassing things she had to have done on her life. Trahearne coughed a little flustered himself at the implications of what she was saying sunk in. Sylvari had something similar, but usually it was explained later by a mentor or friend and was fundamentally different as sylvari were born from the Pale Tree. Although they lacked reproductive capabilities, it didn't mean they didn't have an ability to, ah, copulate. It wasn't a fond memory of his at any rate, especially since he was the firstborn._

_“What about the other clan jelek? What do they look like?” Caithe inquired, directing the conversation else where smoothly. Taigon thought about it for a moment before answering. “There are lots of clans out there, but the five main clans' are more vivid than those of the common clans. You already know Tigris clan’s are smooth stripes. The Farkas have paw prints, the Fóka have solid spots, the Medve have patches that look like fur, and the Sárkány have patches of scales. I know a few of the small clan ones but other than that I don’t know all of them.”_

_Caithe made mental note of each jelek. After all, any information she could get was useful, especially if there were any more Váltó still around. Taigon hadn’t thought there would be, since she had literally slept for 3,000 years as the timer on her ark had read when they had finally found it, and from what she had explained earlier to them the remaining Váltó had already started to decline in numbers by the time she was put to sleep. There were so many questions to be answered, the biggest being where Taigon’s sibling’s arks were, how they came to exist in Tyria, and what had happened to the other Váltó._

_“But enough of that for now. I’ll tell you more as things come and go. For now, there’s still an entire city you haven’t shown me and we’re wasting daylight.” Taigon said changing the subject. She grabbed Trahearne’s hand to both sylvaris’ surprise and started to weave through some of the crowd. Caithe walked behind the two, watching with a fond smile as her brother was pulled along by a small woman. It was a rather silly sight and here in this moment, she felt as if nothing else mattered in the world._

* * *

 

_Trahearne turned the corner of the door with smile as he spotted her. Taigon was sitting on the window sill of the house with one of her legs tucked up under under the other which was swinging back and forth to the sound of her absent-minded humming. One of her many quirks he had learned while she lived with him, but certainly not the weirdest one he had seen so far._

_As not to startle her, Trahearne cleared his throat to catch her attention. The blue haired woman whipped her head around to the male in the doorway and grinned at him. “Trahearne! I see you finally dragged yourself away from your books.” Trahearne huffed at the statement but smiled back. Taigon slid off the sill to her bare feet and went to stand in front of him._

_“So what’s up?” she chirped. The dark sylvari gestured for her to follow him with his hand as he turned and left. Taigon curiously followed without sound. “I thought it would be a good time to show you more of Caledon Forest. It's been awhile since we went farther than the Verdence.” Trahearne said while glancing back at her and had the pleasure of seeing her bright amber eyes light up at the sound of leaving the grove. She had been very restless recently and he could see that she needed to do something other than explore the Grove._

_She sped up with a bit more bounce to her step at the aspect of seeing something other than the Grove._

_It didn’t take long to walk up to the exit of the Grove, and before she knew it they were in the forest. Taigon stretched her arms out with a deep inhale of the scents of the forest around her with a pleased rumble in her throat. Taking a survey of the forest around her, she let her eyes wander about the pools of water and trees._

_The forest was teeming with life from sylvari to moas and different bugs. “Geez, those are some really big bugs,” the Váltó stated dumbly as she stared at a grub. Trahearne laughed at her blunt observation, “Those aren’t even the biggest ones. Further down the path are jungle spiders, some of the rare few that are docile unless you attack them. They’re easily the size of person.” Taigon shuddered at that. “Uh, no thank you. I don't mind spiders, just as long as they aren't within my striking distance. But if you really want to see someone freak out about spiders, you should see Rai. He's terrified of them. Xander usually has to get rid of them for him.”_

_Trahearne just chuckled at her reaction. “I'm sure he has a very good reason why. I have a feeling it might have something to do with you?” Taigon simply smiled coyly and answered evasively, “Maybe.” Trahearne had learned quickly just how much trouble this small woman could cause. Recently her restlessness had gotten to her and she had disappeared. A few hours later she reappeared and there was some kind of commotion about randomly painted eyes popping up everywhere staring at everybody following in her suspiciously cheerful wake. It wasn't harmful as all paint was organic and most people were just startled and had a great laugh about it later. Still, he had kept a bit of a closer eye on her since then._

_The two companions were silent in their stroll following the dirt road, Trahearne letting her take everything in. Other sylvari weaved on and off the path as they went about their business. A few mosquitoes were swatted at and Taigon stared curiously at the large fireflies that flew close to the path. She hummed lightly as they neatly side stepped a couple of sylvari wardens patrolling the path. This forest was so much like her home it was almost painful._

_“What's on your mind, my friend?” Trahearne asked when he sensed her get lost in her thoughts once again. It had been an often recurrence as of late. Taigon hummed back considering as they turned right down another path. “This place reminds me of home, my childhood playground. My siblings and I were raised in a forest, though ours was a bit more crowded with trees and had less water than this one. It was my sanctuary for most of my life, until my fifteenth birthday. There was a large forest fire and most of my home was just blackened ashes afterwards.” Taigon paused, the memories replaying in her mind. Trahearne was silent as he waited for her to continue._

_“It was beautiful, especially in autumn. The floor would be covered in a blanket of brown and orange and the trees would blaze gold at sundown. It too had so much life to feel, much like this one.”_

_That last part caught his attention and intrigued him by the way she had said it. “‘Life to feel’? What do you mean?” Taigon blinked at the unexpected question, coming out of her nostalgia and homesickness. She thought about it for a minute before giggling at herself. “Oh! I haven't explained the áldás to you yet.”_

_She crossed her arms over her new blue hooded cloak before beginning. “You remember me telling you that it is believed that the Divine of our home blessed our ancestors and created the first Váltó, right?” Trahearne nodded, remembering when she had explained that. “Well, along with our shape shifting abilities, we were blessed with control over various elements. One element to each one person. Each major clan had a majority element they specialized in. To the Tigris was air, the Farkas fire, the Medve earth, and the Fóka water. The Sárkány were different in that they could bend the rules of reality. History says there were even some that could move mountains the size of Mount Maelstrom with their minds.”_

_Trahearne was completely engrossed in his friend's lesson as they continued down the path, passing the. “I am only half Tigris with the other half being Sárkány. I take after my Tigris half when it comes to shape shifting, but my Sárkány side is stronger when it comes to my áldás, which what we call our ability.” She paused to let Trahearne fully comprehend all the information she was dumping onto him. The firstborn raised an eyebrow at her. “You still haven't answered my question.”_

_The blue haired woman huffed at him with a pout. “I was getting there. My áldás is the manipulation of energy. I can feel and even see to an extent the energy of things around me. All living things put off some kind of energy, whether its heat or movement or just simply being alive, its always there. I'm hypersensitive of mostly movement and it took me years to be able to control it, because I_ tell _what they are doing based on how their energy reacts and that can be too much to know sometimes. Its really complex to explain since its so much more than that and it's not something you can just put into words.” Taigon finished biting her lip as she searched hey mind for some way to explain it better._

_Trahearne mulled over her short lesson with a bit of awe. The Váltó seemed an incredibly powerful race and yet from what little history she's given him and what he knows of Tyria, Taigon and her siblings seem to be the only ones left. Nine out of an entire race of thousands with even more complex branches of clans than just the Tigris that make up her family. “Aha! I know just thing!” Taigon announced excitedly, snapping her fingers. Trahearne turned to her as she stopped in their lazy stroll under a few pinkish trees._

_“What are speaking of?” He asked. “I know how to explain it better by showing you what I mean. I can't do it for long, but I should be able to show you what I see and feel when I intentionally use it that way. If you would like to anyways?” She added on as a last thought. Katrina had always said to ask permission and not be pushy, since she might unknowingly make someone uncomfortable._

_Trahearne hesitated, but was eventually too curious to withstand the temptation of the offer. Taigon held up her hand and gestured for him to take it. He placed his own warm, dark green hand in hers. “Okay, so close your eyes for minute to let yourself get used to it before opening them. It'll be a little jarring, but not overwhelming since sylvari are already connected to nature somewhat. I would still brace yourself though.” She suggested as she watched him follow her instructions._

_Slowly Taigon eased up on the reins over her senses, letting the energy move over her like a wave before letting the sense flow into the male holding her hand. Trahearne inhaled sharply as he felt something wash over his skin. What felt like gentle wind brushed over him and then a feeling of warmth laid softly just over his skin. Then there was the thrumming in chest, a gentle pulse and a light airy hum in his ears. There was just so much. “Whoa, easy there, Leafy. Focus on one thing at a time. Give it a second to not be so intense before you jump head first into trying to analyzing everything.” Taigon’s voice washed over him soothingly, settling the hypersensitivity._

_“Okay, now try opening your eyes. Slowly.” Trahearne slowly opened an eye and then squinted at the sudden bright light. It didn’t take long for his vision to solidify and when it did he couldn’t help but be amazed._

_The world was saturated in so much color and everything was vivid to look at. The trees and various plants seemed to shimmer as he could see every movement they’d made. He could feel the movements of the birds that flew overhead and even a few squirrels that were hidden in the underbrush as they went about their business. The sun was especially bright, the warm light it cast_ felt _red in color. Any water nearby felt like it was teaming with life. A sylvari warden patrol was about 50 meters ahead down the left most path and moving towards them. There  was just so much to take in._

_Taigon slowly started to pull her senses back in and let Trahearne’s second hand vision fade away gently. Her shoulders sagged a little in exhaustion, but the good kind. She had been unable to have much of an outlet for all the energy she pulled into herself subconsciously. It wasn’t something she could or wanted to stop completely since it connected her to everything around her._

_Trahearne sighed, a little mournful of how the world seemed duller and his senses blunter. “How do you manage to concentrate with all that going on constantly? There was so much color and it was so bright.” Taigon laughed at his lackluster observation. He was usually so much more eloquent and maybe it was a bit more jarring than she thought it could be._

_“I’ve had many years of practice since my áldás matured. After one’s áldás matures it get stronger and you can do things you were not able to before. There’s not a set time or age for it to happen, it just happens one day. All of my siblings have a matured áldás, even my youngest sister Anise. After that you just have to learn control and it’s different for everyone. When Katrina’s matured when she was about 14 or so she kept setting her clothes on fire because her skin got so hot. It took her three months to get it under some control, but we had a fireproof outfit made for her, just in case.” Taigon explained to him with a grin. “So any questions?”_

_“Yes, actually. Before I opened my eyes there were these different sensations that were strange.” Trahearne began, but Taigon quickly interrupted. “Oh, those sensations! Out of everything those can be the most distracting, well other than when sun shines on everything making it sparkle. Each one of those is an indication of what type of energies are close or far. It’s when I combine those with my sight that I just_ know _what’s causing them._

_“The one that feels a bit like a breeze against your skin is movement. Depending on where you feel the breeze it’ll tell you which way it’s coming from. The tingling feeling that’s warm is energy from heat and light which is why it feels kind of like the color red to me. The hotter the feeling the hotter the source, the, uh, tighter the feeling the closer it is. The sun is usually kind of like a soft, warm blanket to me. So do most people or animals if they stand right next to me._

_“The kind of pulse in your chest, like a chord of an instrument being plucked is life energy. The more lively a place the steadier and stronger the pulse. Part of why I’m not a fan of the more desert like areas, there’s barely any type of pulse and it feels dead. Lastly, the humming is the most important part. It’s the harmony of all the energy, of how it changes itself into different forms. There’s a steady balance of give and take that changes how the harmony sounds. If the harmony is off tune or garbled something is messing with the balance of things._

_“It’s pretty rare that something like that happens. Usually if it does happen I search out the source to correct it, because it just feels_ wrong _.” Taigon explained as she stopped to explore a small bed of rocks just off to the side of the road. There seemed to be a couple of really shiny stones in the mix, a pretty kind of green and purple one catching her eye. Trahearne watched her pocket it with an idle curiosity as she explained the sensations in turn. Now that he thought back to how they felt he could see the parallels between them._

_“When did your áldás mature and what else do you use it for?” He asked. Taigon squinted in thought for a minute before answering, “If you don’t include the time we were asleep, for me my áldás matured fully about five years ago, just a few months before Anise was born.”_

_The short woman stood up and brushed the dirt off her hands from digging through the pile of rocks. “As for how use my áldás, well, I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you some. The first thing I usually use it for is a kind of discharge. You saw how I got my bracers to open, right? It’s a discharge of energy as electricity which I can change the voltage of depending on how much energy I release. The second thing is I can manipulate it to strengthen my body to hit harder or just move faster. By my usual standards I can run faster than birds can fly and I’m strong enough to take being thrown into a few trees by my sister if she gets a hold of me in a spar.”_

_Trahearne had a hard time believing she could move that fast, but he recalled how quickly she had dodged around him to get to her bracers. It was like she had blurred in her movement. “And? What else?” He asked interested to know more. Taigon just smiled secretively. “Uh-uh. That’s all you’re getting from me. The rest you’ll just have to figure out yourself, because after all, a girl’s gotta keep some things up her sleeves.”_

_It only made him all the more determined to solve the puzzle that was his friend._

* * *

 

 

_“There are five races that form the nations of Tyria. The Humans, the Norn, the Charr, the Asura, and the Sylvari.” Trahearne explained as he unrolled a large map. Pointing to the middle of the map to the left of a snowy mountain range he continued, “The Humans dominate this region called Kryta, the capital being Divinity's Reach. They worship six gods; Balthazar, the god of war, fire, and courage; Dwayna, goddess of healing, air, warmth, and light; Melandru, goddess of nature, earth, and growth; Lyssa, the twin goddesses of beauty, water, and illusion; Grenth, god of darkness, death, and ice; and finally Kormir, goddess of order, spirit, and truth.”_

_Trahearne turned to his companion who was listening avidly while watching him as he explained. With a smile he continued, “The five original gods come from a different world, and when they came here to Tyria, they brought with them the humans as they stepped from the Mists. The place where they had arrived was the Land of Orr, and it is there that the humans first came to live. Later on they eventually moved outward to colonize what is now Kryta and Ascalon, while the gods retreated to Arrah, the City of the Gods._

_“Abaddon, the god that proceeded Kormir, was the one to give magic to the races of Tyria. Unfortunately, this caused much war and strife between the races. So much in fact, that the First King of Tyria, a human named Doric, pleaded before the gods to take back the gift. Answering his plight, they broke the Bloodstone into five parts and scattered them, and therefore reducing the capabilities of magic use. Abaddon was furious and protested, though the gods dismissed it. After he left the other gods, his furious followers, the Margonites, upon hearing the news of the magic restraints, launched multiple attacks upon the other gods._

_“While the gods were understandably furious, it was their followers, the Forgotten, that were more so. What followed was total annihilation of the Margonites, for they were no match for the Forgotten. Only one remained, Jadoth, who beseeched Abaddon for deliverance and Abaddon answered. Jadoth was the first ever Champion of Abaddon and the first to be turned into a demonic being. Abaddon poured all of his hatred and anger to declare war upon the five other gods, and set a siege down upon the Gates of Heaven with his Horde of Darkness._

_“The the war began in his favor, Abaddon could not hold up to all five gods and was ultimately struck down, leaving a vast desert where there sea used to be. Abaddon was imprisoned in his realm with his host of Margonite followers and a force of Forgotten wardens became his jail keepers. The place where he was struck down was called the Mouth of Torment, and the city Morrah was built to keep vigil over it in the year 1 BE. The following year the five remaining human gods left Tyria._ **_(3)*_  **" _T_ _rahearne finished. Taigon gaped overwhelmed with the information. “Good Isteni, that’s really … wow. I have no words for that.”_

_Trahearne chuckled lowly at his friend’s shock. “That’s only the beginning of the human's side of history. There's still the other races history to go through.” She dramatically slumped down from where she was sitting cross legged on the desk with a theatrical groan. “More?”_

 

0-0-0

 

_“So what about the Sylvari? In all this history you’ve jammed into my head, you haven’t mentioned the Sylvari yet.” Taigon asked curiously even as she massaged her temples. They had been at this for hours._

_Trahearne was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he began. “The Sylvari are the youngest race. We have only walked this land for 25 years. We are not born, yet instead we are awakened from within the Dream beneath the Pale Tree, our Mother Tree. While most Sylvari are content to remain here within the grove or Caledon Forest, there are those tasked with great deeds called Wyld Hunts. Caithe’s Wyld Hunt is to slay Zhaitan. Mine is to restore the land of Orr, though how I shall accomplish this I do not know. ”_

_Taigon looked upon her despondent and disheartened friend with a soft sympathetic smile. “You know, I often thought the same way.” Trahearne looked to her curiously with a stressed frown. “Let me explain. Five years before we were put into the Time Arks for sleep, my siblings and I lost our mother, our leader, our Anya. She was attacked during the last month of her pregnancy, which caused her to go into labor early. Our dearest and younger sister was born and we lost our mother to the childbirth. Before she faded, she left me with the task and role of Anya._

_“Becoming an Anya is usually a great honor to celebrate, though mine was somewhat sorrowful and we had no time for celebrations. However, I questioned myself of the validity of my Anya’s decision. Usually, it is the eldest female of clan blood that takes up the mantle of Anya, which would be my big sister, Katrina. However, Katrina will never settle to further the family nor will she take a male mate and therefore has abdicated the right to be Anya. Lage is next eldest, but he is male so he cannot take the role of Anya. My other sisters are too young, being seven or more years younger than I. Thus I am the only choice for the role.”_

_Trahearne though fascinated with the lesson in her culture, couldn’t comprehend what she was getting at. He went to speak this, but was silenced with a glare as Taigon continued. “The doubts I was having were due to two main problems. Firstly, I am not truly of clan blood. I was found abandoned in our woods and Anya adopted me as I was of Váltó blood. I could not be raised in a human village as they could not teach me of what it was to be a Váltó. It was a stroke of luck that I turned out to be Tigris, like the clan, though of doubtful bloodline. Secondly, I was worried I was not cut out to be Anya, since there are many traditions one must follow and training you're supposed to go through before hand._

_“It wasn’t until Katrina sat me down to give me a lecture over throwing a pity party did I realize that I was the one for the job. She gave me so many examples and brushed off my protests and doubts like they were flies. Anyways, my point is that you would not be tasked with such a large task if you were not thought capable of doing so and accomplishing it. While you might not believe in yourself, have faith that others do.”_

_Trahearne was silent as he mulled over this information, letting it sink in. Sighing he spoke softly, “What you say is the truth, though it will take a while to sink in.” The firstborn looked the young shifter with a grateful smile and new respect for his friend. While she looked quite young, he knew she was older than she appeared by the wisdom woven through her words of someone that had gone through much strife and hardships in her life._

_Taigon smirked with her arms crossed over her chest, though her orange eyes stayed soft. Flicking one of her blue ponytails back over her shoulder, she said, “Good. I’d hated to have to beat it into your leafy green face.”_

_Trahearne smiled at her sassy comment. “I’d like to see you try.”_

_Taigon’s grin was feral with the delight of a challenge._

* * *

 

_“Tell me about you siblings. You often talk about them.” Trahearne asked one evening. Taigon looked startled for a moment that he would ask about that. She looked out to the sunset over the railing from where they were on the Scholar’s Terrace with a fond smile._

_“Well, the eldest is Katrina, though I often call her Kat. She’s very composed and is very charismatic. She could charm even the skritt if you let her. She’s, well, how do I explain this…” Taigon looked pensive for moment before continuing, “If she had been born male, she would most definitely been a lady killer.” Trahearne looked at the small woman by his side with incredulity. Taigon saw his expression and laughed, “Well, I did say she was charismatic! Women apparently really like the slightly mysterious and cool personality, even if she is female like the rest of them. Don’t let that cool persona fool you. Katrina can be a hothead when it comes to her passions.”_

_“Next is Lage. He’s three years younger than Katrina whose 28, not including the years we’ve all been sleeping. He’s very aloof and tends to distance himself from us, but the triplets always drag him back. Lage can be very cold sometimes, but he loves his family and adores the triplets since they are the only ones that seem to break that icy mask of his. He’s also a very good at sewing and cooking. He makes some of the best pancakes I’ve had in my life.” Taigon laughed._

_“I’m four years younger than Lage, 21. Unfortunately, I don’t look it and my baby brothers tease me about my height. Raiton and Xander are four years younger than I am. The twins can be a tad cruel with their tricks, though they’ve never been able to catch me. Serves them right, they’re a million years too early to take my crown as Trickster Queen!” Taigon cackled. Trahearne bemusedly smiled at her antics and leaned over the railing with his arms crossed._

_“They’ve never been apart since they were born. Raiton is the older twin by five and half minutes - to which he’ll never stop reminding Xander when they get into fights - but Xander is the mature one, always pulling Rai back if something gets out of hand. They look exactly the same, well mostly, but they have completely different personalities. Rai acts tough and hot headed, but he’s a bit of a softie, especially since he still sleeps with his stuffed sheep Anya made him. That and he can't refuse any of Sai's requests to play. Don’t tell him I told you that." Taigon warned with a glance to the sylvari next to her out of the corner of her eye, “Xander is calmer and tends to play man-in-the-middle for his twin. He and Lage get along fairly well. Lage was teaching him how to cook last I remember. Unfortunately, they both tend to be a tail I can’t seem to shake most of the time unless I super-stealth away.”_

_Trahearne thought about all she had told him so far. He chuckled a bit, “It sounds like they really look up to you.” Taigon huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, they could stand to look up to me a little less and with more respect.”_

_Taigon bit her lip, looking down at her feet swinging over the railing where she sat. “The triplets are Jijitsujo, Saikon, and Kako, though we call the first two Gigi and Sai. Gigi is the oldest and is a bit of a diva. Lage spoiled her with lots of really cute clothes when she was younger, so she loves shopping and fashion. She is constantly reminding Sai to act more like a lady than a boy. Sai usually butts heads with her due to the fact and saying she would rather be playing in the dirt and being stuffed into dresses. Her favorite thing to do is to kick around the dark pink ball Lage got her one year._

_“Kako is the youngest and is very timid. She stutters when she’s around people she doesn’t know, but she’s very well spoken when she isn’t. She loves to read and was learning to be the family healer from Anya, though she’s had to self teach herself now that Anya is gone. Kako will get in between Gigi and Sai if their fights, though she often the reason they are fighting. Both of them have a different view of how to help Kako get over her shyness.” Taigon explained when Trahearne looked like he was about to ask why they would be fighting over their sister._

_“The one thing about them is that they are an inseparable team. Cunning, Strength, and Intelligence rolled up into three little girls. When the twins pick on them like big brothers do, oh boy. It’s a bit like an overwhelming victory for the girls. You would have thought Rai and Xander knew better by now.” Taigon shook her head at some of the memories of those family battle royales between the five of them._

_Taigon turned around to slip off the railing back onto solid ground, her hands behind her back as she leaned up against the rail. Trahearne was patient as he waited for her to continue. Closing her eyes against to tears, she continued._

_“Anise… Anise is my youngest sister. She’s only five years old, but she’s already very mature. You can see the wisdom in her eyes. She was born premature and that caused her to be partially mute. Talking any louder than a whisper hurts so she chooses not to speak at all. Where we came from there was this thing called sign language, so we all taught her and ourselves to make her feel more comfortable. She also tends to come off very stoic for a child and is the spitting image of our Anya. She’s never known her mother, but for a few precious moments. She only knows me as her Anya and I do my best for her, but sometimes I wonder … Am I doing what’s right for her? Am I making sure she knows who her mother was through what I can teach her.”_

_They were silent as Taigon’s thoughts swirled around her head, dripping with doubt and loneliness. She startled at the warm hand that firmly gripped her shoulder and followed the arm up to the owner’s face. Trahearne’s luminescent yellow eyes were soft and kind. “I can hear how much you love them just from you describing each one. I’ve never met them before, but I’m sure they love you just as much. I think … that your brothers and sisters should be grateful to have such a wonderful sister who tries her best.”_

_Taigon’s ears burned with an itch under their white fur as she sheepishly nodded. Feeling a bit better, she was able to push away her longing to be reunited with her family with a smile. The Váltó turned her nose up to the air and sniffed. The air was rich with the smell of food which made her stomach rumble. The male sylvari blinked at the sound and Taigon bashfully scratched at her cheek with a finger. Clapping her hands together with a loud_ smack _, she announced loudly, “Well, I guess that means it’s time for dinner. Come on, Trahearne, my stomach is demanding sustenance.”_

_Grabbing the startled firstborn’s hand she pulled him away from the railing in the direction of where she could smell food. Trahearne stumbled a little as Taigon tugged him along as she quickly steered them towards dinner, her long blue hair streaming behind her in her haste. He chuckled lowly at his friend’s exuberance and continued to marvel how much strength there was in this petite woman._

* * *

 

_Trahearne quickly rolled under a swipe of silver and gold claws that whistled by where his head used to be. He countered with his focus, sending out a scythe that was side stepped. Taigon had once again got restless within the Grove, so before she could get up to any mischief he had challenged her to a small spar claiming it to be lesson on necromancy._

_Taigon had immediately leapt at the chance to fight. It had been forever since she had had a decent workout other than running around Caledon Forest and helping out the locals with a few tasks here and there. It turned out Trahearne was very skilled at fighting even though he claimed to be more of a scholar and was more than a “decent workout”. It was a challenge._

_Currently the spar seemed to be in a rhythm of her dodging around his minions and dealing him  some damage until she was pushed back for some reason and everything repeated again. She had internally decided to keep to the rules she used when sparring with her younger siblings. While her friend was a great warrior in his own experience, the sylvari hadn’t been trained to keep up with her usually vicious attack pattern. Taigon kept to a slightly enhanced speed and a reasonable level of her tricks. Surprisingly, she kept having to resort to new skills to keep her edge as he was picking up her fighting style rather quickly._

_More than anything it was his quick analysis and accurate predictions that gave him an edge in the fight. Instead of trying to follow her with his eyes, he predicted where she would attack him based on how she moved in a path. Then he used his minions to manipulate the path she would take to get to him. It had been a long time since anyone other than Katrina could keep her on her toes and having strategize a step further only to be countered. It was exciting and a complete thrill._

_“Trahearne, would you mind if you went up against my other forms?” Taigon shouted as she dodged the sharp bone blade of one his Bone Minions. “It’s a spar to familiarize ourselves with each other’s skill, isn’t it? Come at me!” Trahearne countered as he attacked with his scepter._

_He watched as she evaded a projectile from one of the Bone Fiends he had summoned and then it was as if her outline rippled. There was a deep roar that he could feel in his chest as a large white tiger with blue stripes and amber orange eyes charged at him. Though she was bulky in this form, Taigon was able to maintain most of her agility as she slashed at her sparring partner with razor sharp claws._

_Trahearne had to quickly step back to avoid the black claws aimed at his legs. He cast grasping dead to slow her down as he took in how her movement and attack pattern had changed. It looked as if she now preferred an even more direct type of attack, not even bothering to strike at his minions anymore, merely dodging around them to reach him. She also seemed to be more instinctual in this form, single minded almost. If he could keep her focused on him he might be able to lure her into a trap._

_The sylvari moved quickly, provoking her with feast of corruption and moving back quickly as she snarled and rushed him. Just a second more and …_ Boom! _Taigon was caught in the explosion as his Bone Minions suddenly detonated. The loud noise had suitable dazed her and the amount of damage she had taken had dealt it’s toll in slowing her down. If she didn’t think quick, she was going to lose this spar. And wouldn’t her sister tease the hell out of her if she found out._

_The best way for her to end this fight would be to do something surprising to knock him off his guard. Hmm… knock him off his guard… She had the perfect idea, but first… Taigon jumped back from the blast sent straight at her and it ended up scorching the ground a bit. Trahearne was a little impressed that she managed to shake off the daze so quickly. It usually took awhile for people to recover after he detonated a Bone Minion at nearly point blank range. Still it had done its job and she was moving slower and it was easier to follow her movements._

_He noticed as she started to switch up her tactics, now doing more stalking than outright charging at him. Suddenly it was as if her form blurred and then she was gone. Trahearne tensed, shoulders tightening and his stance becoming more wary. He had not been expecting that. His mind whirled as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her entire coat was a blinding white with bright blue stripes, he shouldn’t have lost her in all the green around the clearing they were sparring in._

_The foliage shook to his right making him whip his head around to the noise, the leaves that made up the likeness of his ‘hair’ rustling with the movement. Another rustling of leaves as he heard the same shaking of foliage across from him. The noises had him turning in circles, trying to locate his errant sparring partner. It was as if she was circling him, but the pattern of noise was always too far apart, too soon for there not to be any other noise from her brushing the foliage to get to the next spot. His mind raced with the possibility that he didn’t notice the shadow above him until it was too late._

_There was a loud crackle of branches sliding together and Trahearne snapped his head up in time to see a blue haired woman pouncing on him from above. The wind was knocked out of him as his back hit the ground hard with a pained grunt. Taigon wasn’t really heavy, but being jumped on from that height kinda hurt. The Váltó had his shoulders pinned to the ground with a hand to the top of his chest with her weight straddled over his waist. Her left claws were out and pointed at his throat with his scepter and focus out of reach above his head._

_“I win.” Taigon stated with a playful smirk at the firstborn’s shocked expression. She retracted the claws but stayed atop Trahearne’s waist as he propped himself up onto his elbows. “How did you do that without me seeing you? You’re a bit brightly colored for me to just lose you.” Taigon smirked but indulged him with an explanation._

_“You see after I zipped away, I hid and climbed one of the trees. The noise of the foliage rustling? I exaggerated the sound of naturally moving leaves. If I manipulate the energy put into a movement, I can control the size and the volume of that movement. That’s why it seemed like I was everywhere at once. You’re good at analyzing other people’s strategies and manipulating them against the owner, but it’s also a weakness,” Taigon lectured. She had still made no move to remove herself from her perch._

_“Any hint of a pattern you can’t decipher and you over-analyze, taking away your battle focus and reflexes. You were slower to react when I surprised you from above, though your earlier reflexes indicated that you should have been able to dodge out of the way. Next time listen to your instincts more and what they can tell you. It’s good to know your enemy, but not if you get stuck in your head, blinding you to a potential attack.” Taigon finished and crossed her arms._

_Trahearne nodded in agreement, still waiting for her to remove herself. “Are you going to get off me anytime soon?” Taigon grinned toothily at him and crossed her legs so she was sitting fully on top of him with her full weight. “No, I don’t think I will. You’re much more comfortable than the ground.” Trahearne huffed exasperatedly at his friend’s cheeky refusal, but he could not help but be fond of her antics. Taigon had made his life much more interesting since he had met her._

_She was one of the only people who bothered to separate him from his research anymore no mattered how much he refused. She always found some way to drag him out of his notes and to do something other than read or train. He could honestly say she was counted among some of his dearest friends though they had only known each other for a year now. He was about to roll her off of his stomach when he felt it._

_Taigon was startled when Trahearne grabbed her and crushed her to his chest as he quickly rolled them down the hill from the clearing. The sound of a large hammer hitting the ground where they just were rung through her ears. She coughed a bit when they stopped rolling and his heavy form was now on top of her instead. The sylvari quickly pushed himself off of her onto his hands and knees, pinning her to the ground. His face was serious, but he he still looked concerned for her. “Are you alright?” Taigon nodded, head still spinning from their tumble._

_“I’m pretty sure I am. What the hell attacked us?” She questioned, looking back up the hill where they had been. Trahearne quickly stood from his position and helped her to her feet. “A Risen Brute, though how-” A rasping war cry cut him off as the brute came rushing down the hill at them, warhammer raised. Both companions darted around the flailing swings as it attacked them as they made back for the clearing. Trahearne’s scepter and focus were still where he had dropped them in Taigon’s attack._

_“This far into Caledon? But we’re so close to the Pale Tree where the patrols are constantly active. How did it get past all the wardens, not to mention the other sylvari?” She asked as she sprinted next to him. She had been shaken when it had popped out of nowhere. Sure, she had seen them before while exploring, but she had never gotten close enough to really_ see _them._

 _No doubt they were ugly since they were technically a shambling corpse brought back to life, but she hadn’t thought what that might have_ felt _like. She couldn’t sense the same steady pulse of life energy she felt on other things that moved. This thing didn’t even have a slow thrum, instead in it’s place was a filmy, sickly energy that clung to anything that had gave off life._

_The balance was severely skewed around it, the hum of the harmony in her ears was a cacophony of off key caterwauls that was equal parts deafening and weak. It was if the previous life energy that had inhabited the body had turned into something that was protesting its very existence. It was just wrong._

_They made it back up to where Trahearne dropped his weapons, the sylvari quickly scooping them off the ground and turning to face their pursuer. Or pursuers now. There were two other Risen, a Thrall and another Brute quickly tailing after the first. Trahearne was swift to summon two Bone Minions and start attacking the Brute that had first started everything. Taigon quickly threw herself claws first at the Thrall, while avoiding the other Brute._

_She side stepped as the Thrall lunged at her and rolled back as the Brute swung his hammer at her head. Taigon swiped at the back of the Brute’s knees with her claws and quickly dodged around it to attack the Thrall as it faltered to the ground. Taigon slashed at the Thrall’s stomach causing it to bleed. The Thrall managed to clip her as she jumped back from it’s swipe._

_Trahearne had finished off the other Brute, his Bone Minions, now focusing on the Brute that had been going after her. Now that she didn’t feel like she had to dodge constantly, Taigon rapidly struck out at the Thrall’s chest, deep gashes causing it bleed more heavily. The Thrall screamed and started to lash out, but Taigon didn’t let it do any damage as she speared it through the stomach. “The light fades…” It rasped as Taigon dislodged it from her claws with a sharp yank._

_“Taigon, look out!” Trahearne yelled. Taigon whipped around and brought her claws up in time to block the blow of the hammer aimed at her back. Taigon grunted as the force of the blow knocked her off her feet into the mossy dirt. Her eyes widened as the steel hammer was raised above the Brutes head to be brought down upon her head. The cloaked woman rolled out of the way with a thud coming inches away from her head._

_Trahearne cast feast of corruption stopping in its tracks. The Brute groaned before dropping on the ground and going completely still. The firstborn sylvari swiftly looted the two Brutes as Taigon pulled herself up off the ground to do the same to the Thrall. “This worries me. For the Risen to be so close to the Pale Tree without them being detected is perplexing. Come, it’s best that we report this to the head of the Wardens and I need to see about something as well.”_

_Taigon nodded, cleaning her blades off and sheathing them back into the bracers. Both quickly exited the clearing and headed back to the path to the Pale tree, keeping an eye out for any more Risen._

 

0-0-0

 

_Taigon hummed with her hands folded behind her as she rocked on her heels. Trahearne was inside speaking with the Head of Patrol and she had gotten bored with the pleasantries and simple small talk, so here she was waiting outside. The sound of the weird green door opening caused her to turn her attention to the person coming out._

_Trahearne had his ‘serious face’ onㅡas Taigon called it whenever he pinched his eyebrows together in a pensive frownㅡ as he exited the building. Usually he only had that on when it had to do with his research. Taigon stood up straighter because she felt that there was something different about this time. “What’s going on, Trahearne?” She asked as she fell into step with him._

_“I’m not quite sure yet. The Captain said that the Risens’ numbers have steadily increased recently, especially on the east side of Caledon near Morgan’s Spiral. That would mean something’s going on at Orr. Zhaitan must be up to something, but what?” Trahearne quickened his steps to the house the lower floor. Taigon had to lightly jog to keep up with her friend’s  pace._

_This could only mean one thing. Taigon could feel a research binge imminent on the horizon by the way the firstborn was muttering under his breath. Well, looks like it was some more exploration of Caledon for her. Maybe even a prank or two, you know just to keep people on their toes. The Váltó started as she nearly ran into the back of the male sylvari as he stopped in the middle of the doorway of the house._

_He turned to look at her and her stomach turned a little as that serious expression was directed at her. Trahearne usually only did that when he needed her undivided attention on some grim matter. Still she tried to continue looking optimistic and curious as not to show her unease. “What’s up?”_

_Trahearne looked at his friend and considered what it was that he needed to do. She still had so much to learn, but he had taught her all that he could and the rest would be learned by going out and experiencing it. She was his best friend undoubtedly, but this would be good for her. However, would she be able to accept it?_

_Taigon fidgeted with her cloak’s sleeves as Trahearne had yet to say anything. She perked up as he started to speak. “Taigon, my friend, I’m afraid that your stay here has come to an end.” Well, that was not what she had expected at all as she looked at him confused and a little bit hurt. He wilted a little at her hurt expression, but steeled himself. This is what was best for her. She would understand. “I think it would be best for you go out and explore more of Tyria, maybe find some leads on your siblings’ arks and where they might be. It’s time for you to move on and experience what you couldn’t in the 3,000 years you were trapped in your stasis.”_

_Trahearne gently placed his hands on her cloaked shoulders and gave a kind smile. “I’ve prepared you the best I can. Now it’s time for you to use that knowledge and learn things that only life can teach you.” Taigon slowly nodded, all protest leaving her like a deflated balloon. Though she didn’t like it, she understood his reasoning. He was trying to do what was best for her. Trahearne gestured to the inside with a hand and lead her in._

_“I’ve got an extra backpack you can use as well as a couple of smaller bags. You have the waystone Caithe gave you, so you’ll be okay getting around Tyria in a blink of an eye. After that I’ll take you to the Asura gate to Lion’s Arch where you can decide where to go from there. The map maker there is an old friend of mine and she shouldn’t mind helping you with a few maps to get you started.” Trahearne explained as he gathered the aforementioned items._

_Taigon went to the guest room Trahearne had set her up in. She had made this into something of a safe haven, with random colorful and shiny rocks she had collected, knick knacks looted off bandits and animals, and even some dried herbs she kept for the odd cup of tea that no one here seemed to know anything about. She remembered Trahearne’s subtle delight when he had tried one of the mint and chamomile teas she enjoyed drinking. It had become something that she would make whenever he seemed to get stressed over the research that he did._

_She gathered a few of her favorite rocks and put the herbs in a small purple pouch that she had bought for small things. The rest she left as a statement to come back since this was where she felt at home. Taigon looked around this small room and gazed at it fondly. When had she started to feel like this was home?_

_Taigon stowed the backpack as Caithe had shown her to lighten the load and make it harder to steal from._ **_(4)*_** _The Váltó slipped back to the doorway, taking a quick look back at the room and continued on to the sitting room. Trahearne had been gathering a few of his books as he waited for Taigon to come back. As soon as he stowed his bag away they both turned towards the gate and started on their way._

_The walk there was quiet and seemed so short to Taigon. Before she knew it they stood in front of the glowing pink portal. She stopped just in front of the portal, weighing her options. Trahearne squeezed her shoulder and gave her a bright smile. “In this past year, I’ve taught you many things and you have been a good student. However, you are no longer my student, instead you are now my best friend. You are always welcome in my home as its is also now your home. Until we meet again my friend.” Taigon smile was watery, grateful for his words._

_She started towards the portal before she stopped right before the surface. There was one last thing she need to do. Trahearne startled as the blue haired woman turned on her heel and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was a little comical because her bare feet were hanging off the ground as she only came up to his shoulders. Uncertainly, but warmly he hugged her back with his arms around her small waist._

_He didn’t know how long they stood there, but it had felt like an eternity when she slowly released her grip from around his neck. Taigon reached into one of the cloak’s pockets and grabbed the pouch she had placed there earlier. She put the pouch in his hand and smiled once more. “Since you like it so much. If you need anything, send me a message to the house. I’ll be coming back every once in a while to check on things.” Taigon squeezed his hand around the pouch with her’s._

_This time she headed through the gate without turning back. Trahearne watched as her long blue twin tails disappeared through the portal and looked down at the small green pouch in his hand. Opening it he got a whiff of mint, chamomile, and something else he couldn’t identify. The tea she made for him when he worked to hard. The dark green sylvari couldn’t help but chuckle. She was the one heading off into unknown territory and yet she was still thinking of him._

_Trahearne put the pouch in his bag and pulled out his waystone. Now it was time to get down to business._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can at least tell you that Anya is the title of the leader of the clan (like an alpha). It means Mother. This was a choice somewhat influenced by Okami the game. If anyone is confused by the cloak, Tai will be wearing the hood most of the time during the beginning of the story probably until about when you get to the 50th to 60th level stories. Like a cloak from Harry Potter that closes all the way in the front and is high in the front (about knee length) and low in the back (to her ankles). I'll draw a picture later if I can...
> 
> P.S. Sorry in advance if the timeline of this chapter is a little skewed. This is unbetaed so it might be a little wonky and due a little revision later on.
> 
> Foot notes:  
> 1*- The link is a video of a Round Off Back Handspring Full Twist which is what is the move Taigon performs in the market. It should start at 18 seconds.  
> 2*- Yes, I know there is not a fountain in Lion's Arch, but there used to be before it was destroyed in the Battle of Lion's Arch (1327 AE, rebuilt in 1328 AE).  
> 3*-All information is gathered from the official Guild Wars Wiki, but I'll still cite resources for copyright purposes since I do not own Guilds Wars. I am only a fan.  
> “Six Human Gods.” Six Human Gods - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W), wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Six_Human_Gods.  
> 4*- Use your imaginations for how you don't see the inventory/backpack. They could shrink the pack or maybe its like the DBZ capsules. I'm pretty sure the Asura could come up with something like.


	3. Defending Shaemoor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay, it's finally done! This is where the story finally kicks off into what we know as the beginning of the personal story for humans. Yes, Tai's not human, but since she looks human and that is actually the best route for her to go, that's how it's going to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, most information (including pieces of the dialogue) are gathered from both the game and the wiki. So DISCLAIMER: I only own this work of fiction and my original characters and I make no profit from this what so ever other than my peace of mind and enjoyment of others. Besides, fanfiction is kind of like free advertisement and endorsement that encourages other people to play, watch, and/or read whatever it is.
> 
> On a different note: I'm currently still drawing Taigon in the armor on an app on my phone, but I've got the outline done. There will be art, even if it looks a little strange meshing my style with Guild Wars' style. I've also started a small blog website on wix to create profiles and organize my OCs. I'll post the link once I've published it and worked out all the kinks.
> 
> Anya - Mother  
> Ayta - Father  
> áldás - Blessing  
> Jelek - Marks/Signs  
> Váltó - Shifter  
> So, these are the literal meanings of these words that Taigon is using so you can understand it a little better. She'll tell you what each clan name means in the future chapters, but if you want you can look them up yourself. Just know, you're spoiling it for yourself later on and it won't be such a dramatic reveal.
> 
> Please enjoy! And Review to let me know how I'm doing with juggling characters and portraying them.

_ 1325 AE, Shaemoor Village _

 

Small dirty boots pounded on the ground as a little girl ran away from the battle cries ringing throughout the village. Her breathing was heavy and harsh as she moved through the vacant streets, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed.

“Rah!” A centaur suddenly appeared from the corner she was about to turn causing the girl to shriek in fear, falling on her behind in her effort to scramble back. The little girl whimpered as the centaur pulled its blade back and swung it right at her. She closed her eyes waiting, but all that happened was that she heard a gurgle and a loud thud shaking the ground in front of her.

Slowly she opened her blue eyes to see the centaur bleeding out on the cobblestone dead and a cloaked figure standing over the body. The person had six blades unsheathed ―three on each side― and dripping dark red that appeared to be coming from something in their sleeves. The person flicked their wrists and the blades retreated with a quiet  _ snick _ before stepping over the centaur’s corpse towards her.

The little girl shifted back, unsure of this person even if they had saved her. The person knelt down in front of her slowly as not to spook her. “Shh, are you okay? What are you doing out here right now? It’s very dangerous.” It was woman by the way she sounded causing the girl to look at her curiously, but she answered. “Mommy told me to run to town when the centaurs started over running the farm. She said to look for a Seraph to take me somewhere safe. She was right behind me and now she’s not.” By the end of her explanation she was starting to sniffle and her eyes were beginning to look watery. 

The woman cooed at her soothingly. “Shh, little one. I’ll keep you safe. I think the Seraph are protecting the Inn right now, so that’s where the other towns people are. Come on, let’s go. It’s not safe here.” The woman grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. The girl glimpsed bright orange eyes that seemed to glow from under the woman’s hood―  just like the cat’s that lived in their barn― as she was dusted off.

The woman smiled at her and asked, “What’s your name? Mine is Taigon, though most just call me Tai.” The girl shyly smiled back at her and answered, “Melanie.” Taigon grinned at her, "Nice to meet you, Melanie. Now let's go someplace safe, okay?" She turned around and crouched, gesturing with her arms to crawl onto her back. Melanie brightened at that. Her Daddy would give her piggyback rides when he came home from the garrison. Taigon carefully arranged the little girl so she wouldn’t slip off. “Okay, put your arms around my neck and hold on tightly. We’re going to be moving quickly so that we don’t get caught by centaurs, okay?” 

Melanie nodded and tightened her hold, snuggling further into the woman’s back. She felt warm and safe here. Then they were off. Taigon stayed to the shadows and paused every time she heard hooves on the cobblestone. Centaurs weren’t very hard to fight― a simple cut of their back hamstrings and a hole through their stomach― but she needed her agility and speed to do that which was limited currently because of precious cargo.

They were now only a few blocks from the Inn when Taigon’s eyes spotted movement across the street from the shadow they were hiding in. It was an older boy, teenager by the looks of it, and his mother cowering behind a few boxes. She whipped her head around at the sound of hooves, a centaur with a rifle scanning the street and headed straight for the boy and his mother.

Quickly, Taigon spotted a bottle by her foot and grabbed it, only to throw it back down the street to an alley far from their hiding places. It shattered drawing the centaur’s attention as it started to move towards the sound. When it’s back was fully turned, Taigon slipped across the street to the pairs hiding spot, swiftly gesturing for silence with a finger when they looked about ready to shout in surprise at the sudden arrival. Taigon peeked out from behind the crates to glance at the centaur, which was still searching the alley for the noise, and down the road that lead straight to the Inn that she could see from here.

The centaur would hear them if they made a break for it and with its rifle could easily shoot one of them in the back. It would need to be dealt with before they moved on. Taigon lightly tugged on Melanie’s arms to signal for her to release her. The little girl quietly removed herself from her savior’s back and hunkered down a little ways away from her. Taigon turned to the other two. “Stay quiet while I deal with the centaur. Don’t come out until I say so and please watch Melanie for me a bit.” The two nodded, the mother beckoning Melanie closer to shelter her from the rain that was now starting to come down since the little girl was only in her thin night clothes.

Taigon slipped out of the hiding place and edged around the wall out of the centaur’s sight as it came out from the alley and started back down the street. This needed to be as quiet as possible so it didn’t alarm any of it’s friends into coming over here. The other centaurs weren’t too far off, judging by the metal sounds of blades clashing and war cries she could hear. Best do this quickly.

It happened in a blink of an eye. On minute the female centaur was walking down the street and the next she was clutching it’s throat gurgling and unable to breathe. Before she completely blacked out she saw a tiny human female cloaked in dark blue with long bladed claws and glowing amber eyes standing over her as she fell to the ground dead.

Taigon sighed as she watched blood pool in the cracks of the cobblestone street from the centaur’s slashed throat, flicking her claws to sheathe them and rid them a bit of the blood. The blades would need to be cleaned after this. “It’s dead. Come, the Inn’s just down the road.” She called out to the hiding trio. They all hurried to her side, Melanie more quickly than the others. All four continued warily down the road, but stopped short of the road leading up to the Inn.

Centaurs of all kinds were rampaging about and fighting with the Seraph protecting some of the fleeing towns people. Taigon growled lowly under her breath. She looked at the little girl frightfully clutching onto her hand and then to the boy. “I’ll cover your backs as you get up the road, okay? I need you to run as fast as you can and avoid any of the fighting going on. I’ll be right behind you.” 

“Thank you for all your help. My name is Johnny and this is my mother Layla. I’ll make sure the girl gets to the Inn safely.” The boy, Johnny agreed, holding his arms out for Melanie. Taigon deposited the child in his arms and turned to look around the corner. The centaurs were starting to overpower the few Seraph that were there. They needed to go now. “Now, run!”

The three civilians surged from their hiding spot and were made their way around the fighting as fast as they could. One of the centaurs broke off from the fighting to pursue the fleeing trio, but was startled into stopping by a weight jumping onto his back. He thrashed, turning to see what it was but only got a flash of gleaming blades and bright amber eyes.

Taigon had thrown herself onto the centaurs back, balancing as he tried to buck her off. As soon as he turned on her she slit his throat and flipped off to land on her feet as he plowed into the ground. Not wasting anytime, she turned to the few Seraph still fighting with the riff raff and whistled loudly. It was the moment of distraction that the Seraph needed as a couple were able to finish off the centaurs in front of them. Unfortunately, Taigon could hear more hooves further down the path and finally she had no choice.

“Fall back! More are in bound and we need a better position!” Taigon shouted loudly and though the she was not in any position to give out orders. Thankfully the soldiers seemed to understand her logic and fell back down the street without question. Taigon took up the rear to keep an ear on the approaching hooves on the stone streets. They were still a little ways behind, but it wouldn’t take long for them catch up.

Once in front of the Inn, the soldiers about faced and stood their ground now that they had their backs to a safe zone with no worry of an ambush this far into the town. The hooves and war cries were closer now, just around the bend where the bridge was. “Here they come!” She yelled as a warning and not a second to soon.

There were four centaurs, one archer, two berserkers, and a lancer. Taigon was quick to zip over to the archer to take them out first. The long range would be deadly if any arrows strayed from their course to the windows of the Inn. The archer looked surprised as the Váltó appeared out of thin air in front of him. He was able to shake it off in time to dodge a strike from her deadly claws.

While he was shooting at the small human girl he couldn’t help but notice that she did not move like any human he had seen before. She moved like an animal, sometimes moving around with on all fours and crouched. He caught a glimpse of her eyes beyond the shadow of her hood and they were glowing. In that instant he knew that it was not he that was the hunter, it was she who was the predator and she was merely biding her time to strike.

And strike she did. Taigon noticed a lull in his shooting and realized that it was starting to tire. Within seconds she had sliced open it’s human abdomen and lunged to pierce its throat through and through. The centaur fell to the ground lifeless, the last thing it saw being the human’s glowing amber eyes and a predatory grin. One down, two to go as she turned to continue her assault. The Seraph had managed to kill one of the berserkers and were currently fighting off the other two.

She was on the berserker in a blink of an eye, jumping on its back and lashing out at its human back. The centaur hollered in pain and bucked his back hindquarters trying to get her off. The Seraph attacking it stepped back from its thrashing with wide eyes as they watched the girl fight to stay on. Taigon thrust her other claws into the back of its neck and shifted her weight to flip off it as the centaur bellowed in pain as it crashed to the ground dead.

She whipped around to face the last one, but a loud war horn sounded through the air causing the lancer to back off with a sneer before taking off to the other side of town. The Seraph breathed a small sigh of relief at the reprieve. Taigon power walked over to the Inn to peek in through the door. She smiled when she spotted Melanie with Johnny and Layla in the far corner of the Inn. The little blonde girl had a blanket around her shoulders and Layla was sitting next to her with a smile as the little girl happily laughed at something Johnny was telling her.

“Sergeant Walters!” Taigon turned her head towards a Seraph soldier that ran up to one of the more decorated Seraph that stood at the step of the Inn. The soldier saluted before reporting,”Sergeant! There are more centaurs on the other side of town. Captain Thackeray’s calling for reinforcements at the garrison!”

The Sergeant cursed, putting her hand on her metal helm. “If he’s calling for help it must be serious, but I can’t spare anyone.” Taigon took one more look back at Melanie and decided. “I’ll go.” She announced to the two Seraph. Both turned to look at her stunned. They had seen her in battle, but it was still a little hard for them to believe a simple civilian, a small teen girl no less, would want to go into the fray.

“Captain Thackeray does the best he can for this city. If I can help him, I’ll see it through.” Taigon stated adjusting her hood to be able to look the Sergeant in the eyes. Sergeant Walters started at the glowing amber eyes but nodded her thanks. “Balthazar bless you. That’s the spirit that’ll win this war. The garrison is to the east of here. Follow the north road and turn right. Good luck.” The Sergeant stood up straighter and nodded to her. Taigon nodded back and turned to take off down the road. Fast.

* * *

 

Logan clashed blades with a centaur trying to enter the garrison, stopping it in it’s tracks with the sparks of their blades. With a shout, Logan overpowered the centaur, sending it stumbling back with a long gash in its abdomen. “Man the defenses! Let no centaur pass!” He shouted as he charged the berserker to wring it through with his sword. Yanking his blade out of its guts, the captain turned to continue the onslaught. It was looking bad.

The centaurs kept coming and there seemed to be no end. So far there were no reinforcements or any word from the runner they sent to the town which couldn’t be good. It was becoming more and more obvious that no help would come. They just needed to turn the tide enough to scare the centaurs off if they were unable to cripple them. Logan blocked an incoming blade and parried it back. A centaur much larger than some of the ones he had seen so far, started to push him back as he struggled to regain his ground.

It seemed like it was trying to corner him and succeeding. The centaur lunged knowing full well there was no where for the captain to dodge and blocking would send him careening off the side of the bridge. Logan prepared for the strike to hit him when a dark blue blur slammed into the side of the centaur hard enough to send it staggering off to the side and releasing Logan from its pin. Logan was quick to act thrusting his blade through the centaur’s head and dispatching it.

The captain turned to look at his savior for thanks and was immediately confronted with a tiny hooded female in a dark blue cloak. She looked to be unarmed. “What are you doing here, miss? It’s not safe for an unarmed lady!” The tiny girl snorted at him and crossed her arms in defiance.

“What’s it look like I’m doing? Saving your behind, Captain. I can assure you, I’m plenty armed.” she replied. Logan gave her a look of disbelief, but was unable to answer her as another centaur charged straight at the female. Logan was unable to stop it as it bared down on the girl as another centaur blocked his path with a cruel sneer. He struck it down quickly, but could watch in horror as it reached her and prepared to strike.

Only the feminine shriek of pain he expected never came. Instead the centaur bellowed in rage as the girl side stepped him and raked what seemed to be three golden and silver blades in the shape of claws down its side as it passed. Blood splattered the wooden bridge from its side as it rounded on the girl with a wild backhanded swing of its axe. Another pair of claws came up and parried the swipe and the axe went flying out of its hand with a skilled flick of the girl’s blades.

The girl ran at the centaur and started lashing out with the double wielded claws, mangling the centaur’s chest with deep gashes across its torso, one striking it across its throat. The centaur fell to it’s knees before keeling over dead. She stepped over it’s body and made her way past him with a comment thrown over her shoulder. “See? Plenty armed and I can take care of myself, so no need to worry.” Logan shook his head still concerned for her safety. He would just have to keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, that would not be easy as another centaur rushed him and the girl was lost from sight.

Taigon stormed through the battlefield in a blaze of claws as she aimed for throats and vulnerable spots, not taking in anytime to go one on one with these assailants. In this particular battle speed and efficiency were needed to overcome the numerous centaurs trying to gain access to the garrison. If the garrison was lost then the town was as well. 

A voice bellowed in rage with a snarl across the torn up earth. “Enough of this! I will deal with you myself!” As the last centaur wave was being stuck down the ground began to shake and grumble. “Rise!”

Taigon stumbled as she skidded to a stop to look around. “What in the…” A lone centaur on top of the hill was doing something. It was different than the others as it wielded a staff and chanted which could only mean one thing. A modniir sage. Not even thinking about she charged at the the centaur claws first. She appeared in front of it in a blink of an eye and skewered it with her claws through its abdomen. The sage screeched in pain and blooded burbled from its lips down its front as it fell its knees.

The ground shook harder and cracked, lights starting to filter through the cracks. Things like abandoned wagons and debris were sucked into the vortex that was starting to form in the middle of the lights and two hands made of rock ripped themselves from the earth to begin attacking the surrounding Seraph. Taigon whipped her head around from the scene to the sage when it started to laugh. “Pitiful humans. It’s too late!” The sage rasped from blood stained lips. Taigon flashed her long fangs in a snarl and with a outraged swipe of her claws she beheaded the centaurian sage.

“By the Six Gods, what is that thing? It’s huge!” A seraph cried out alarmed. Logan was quick to throw himself into the fray once more with an answer. “That, soldier, is a threat. And we're going to take it down. Forward!”

The Captain panted in exertion as he kept up a steady assault on the elemental hands. He had no luck so far in spotting the tiny hooded girl and his mind kept coming up with scenarios, each worse than the last. The only good thing about this was if the elemental was defeated, that should drive the centaurs to flee as it was obviously their last resort and trump card.

Logan kept attacking the left hand when it swiped at him. He dodged backwards, rolling out of harm's way when a random wagon wheel came hurtling out of nowhere at him. With no time to dodge he braced for impact. Then there was the sound of shattering wood and a grunt which caused him to look up. There in front of him stood the cloaked girl with both her bladed claws completely out. She flicked her right wrist and he watched as the blades extending from a golden paw like bracer retracted and sheathed themselves into a compartment.

The hooded girl held out her clawless hand to him that he looked at as she waved it impatiently at him. “Come on, on your feet. No time for sitting like ducks.” Logan took it and the tiny girl pulled him up off the ground with a surprising amount of strength. The two jumped apart quickly when the elemental hands threw a large boulder where they had been standing.

Taigon’s orange eyes traced every detail of the hands erupting from the earth as she dodged the debris and thrown boulders with dancing steps. The left hand was near to crumbling, though the right one was still going strong. Unfortunately, her claws were not very effective for fighting stone, but if she could just get close enough… The Váltó was swift as she dodged through the storm of debris towards the hand.

Yes, she could feel it! The sage’s magic had built the elemental and given it purpose, but the bastard had then tied it to earth’s energy so it would be able to maintain its shape and purpose even if the sage had been slain. If she were to untie it, it would come crashing down. Taigon reached toward the knot of energy in the center of the hands and pulled. Hard.

Logan was quick to move back as the hands crumbled down, his attention caught by the small girl kneeling on the ground in the center. The crumbled pieces of the elemental and stray debris swirled in a violent vortex of light. “It's not dead yet! Brace yourselves, I think it's going to explode!” He tried to make a grab for her, but was too late. The vortex rumbled and then exploded outward with a great burst of light, knocking many off their feet.

Logan slowly dropped his shield from where he had braced himself. The ground was torn and had several craters from the fighting. Rocks, branches, broken and abandoned wagons and weapons littered the ground, and many of the seraph were wounded. He whipped his head around searching for the girl in concern. A flash of blue caught his eye as his sight went past a half uprooted tree.

He was immediately alarmed at the figure sprawled across the ground. His feet carried him over to the hooded girl who was laying on her side, not moving, before he even registered it. Logan knelt down and rolled her over onto her back, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw her chest rising and falling. Simply unconscious then. Gently, he gathered her in his arms with one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees.

His breath hitched as her hood slid off the back of her head with the movement. He’d had no time fully look at her during the battle other than her diminutive size and blue hooded cloak, but now he was quite startled at her appearance. The hood had fallen back to reveal a fair face with thin blue tattoo markings on pale cheeks while long light blue hair tied in twin tails pooled into the hood. The girl ―now obviously a teenager or very young woman― was barefoot and the cloak had bunched up a bit for him to see golden bands of armor curling up her legs. For her small frame, she was surprisingly a solid weight in his arms without a hint of fragility. 

Logan cradled her closer with one arm, so that he could pull her hood back up to once again hide her face and hair. It was easy to see why she kept herself hidden with her bright coloring. No human had that color of hair after all and while it was possible to dye your hair different colors, he knew of no one that dyed their eyelashes. He would keep her unspoken wish, but for now the girl needed medical attention to affirm that she wasn’t hurt further than he could see at the moment. Perhaps he would be able to learn her name in the process.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a constructive critism zone. Flames will be used to make smores & laughed at, so do think before you post.


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